I just got my 3.5 and 9.5m LS2s in the mail yesterday. They look OUTSTANDING. Beautiful colors and great workmanship. The new bar looks to be top
quality, really first rate. I can't wait to fly these next week at IBX!!!

Buggy:
Peter Lynn Bigfoot+ modified with VTT rail & seat kit (a seriously great performance upgrade), two sets of Sysmic rims (one set with BigFoot
slicks for the beach and other set with 6-ply trailer tires for the playa), and BigKidKite's AQR (because it keeps me in my buggy and in my
marriage)

Buggy:
Peter Lynn Bigfoot+ modified with VTT rail & seat kit (a seriously great performance upgrade), two sets of Sysmic rims (one set with BigFoot
slicks for the beach and other set with 6-ply trailer tires for the playa), and BigKidKite's AQR (because it keeps me in my buggy and in my
marriage)

Wow - you do ook like Mad Max covered with all that body armour. Then again, Max is a survivor.

I know, right?

As my good friend John Alden (cerebite) coined, I was donned in "plastic courage" from head to toe. Great credit actually goes to him. The upper body plastic courage is the exact same brand and style as he uses
complete with the use of a fly fishing vest. The vest is a great final touch. It adds no heat and is loaded with pockets large and small. Perfect for
stowing gear for the great vast expanse.

The helmet feels very sturdy and would likely be useful in a crash, but the part that juts out over my chin made it hard to see my AQR setup. It took
me a while to get comfortable with a kite up in the air sitting in the buggy fiddling with a carabiner trying to get it to clip into the metal ring of
the system. I got the hang of it eventually but a helmet with a slightly less jutting chin piece would have made it easier.

Buggy:
Peter Lynn Bigfoot+ modified with VTT rail & seat kit (a seriously great performance upgrade), two sets of Sysmic rims (one set with BigFoot
slicks for the beach and other set with 6-ply trailer tires for the playa), and BigKidKite's AQR (because it keeps me in my buggy and in my
marriage)

Thanks John! Pretty special place to ride, that's for sure. That photo is deceiving as the tower is really far away. The panels below the tower
(those thousands and thousands of little bright dots are each giant panels being aimed by a computer to converge the light on the tower. Though I'm
sure far more complicated than this, the tower is essentially a large barrel of water that gets boiled by the converging light driving turbines to
generate the power. Not-so-small problem with that design is that it is like a giant Kentucky Fried Chicken near its base. Any bird, large or small,
that flies too close to the tower gets literally fried. The base of the tower is supposedly absolutely covered with the charred remains of countless
poor avian souls.

Buggy:
Peter Lynn Bigfoot+ modified with VTT rail & seat kit (a seriously great performance upgrade), two sets of Sysmic rims (one set with BigFoot
slicks for the beach and other set with 6-ply trailer tires for the playa), and BigKidKite's AQR (because it keeps me in my buggy and in my
marriage)

Buggy:
Peter Lynn Bigfoot+ modified with VTT rail & seat kit (a seriously great performance upgrade), two sets of Sysmic rims (one set with BigFoot
slicks for the beach and other set with 6-ply trailer tires for the playa), and BigKidKite's AQR (because it keeps me in my buggy and in my
marriage)

I've received some questions about the 3.5 LS2 as a high wind kite on the playa. I have to say that I am extremely impressed and give it a 9 out of
10. Two issues kept it from receiving highest marks. First, the kite is very small so it only becomes practical as a high wind kite. For good pulling
in a buggy with heavy rider (that would be me) the winds should be in the 30+ mph range. That much wind causes hell on the bridles before getting it
up in the air. Twice I had some decent tangles in the bridling between laying it out without tangles on a pole and getting back to the bar to hook in.
One half point off for the messy bridles since this is really a SS thing and the price one pays for having a kite that is light weight, highly
packable, and able to get smashed into the ground without blowing any cells.

The second issue was that once you choke the kite down with the clam cleat adjustment and let the bar out (a wonderful way to scrub just about all the
power out of the kite) it gets sort of loose and can go through some disconcerting collapse/re-inflate cycles. Not a big deal in a buggy, but should
somebody be on Coyotes, for example these power surges could be a tad problematic. I'm sure a lot of this was pilot error and swirling winds. One half
point off again.

Now the good stuff: very smooth power buildup and dumping with bar movement. Very firm in the sky with virtually no flapping. This is in contrast to
the 4m P2 that had a very steep power curve and flapped like crazy with the bar out. I was very confident flying this kite in winds that gusted over
40 mph. I didn't take the chance to try it in 50+ gusts. I suspect the kite would have been fine, but on the Ivanpah playa such winds cause a full
Brown Out from both a visual and sartorial perspective.

Bottom line this is a GREAT high wind kite. Very stable, very predictable, very fun. Highly recommended. Don't plan on me selling this kite anytime
soon!

Buggy:
Peter Lynn Bigfoot+ modified with VTT rail & seat kit (a seriously great performance upgrade), two sets of Sysmic rims (one set with BigFoot
slicks for the beach and other set with 6-ply trailer tires for the playa), and BigKidKite's AQR (because it keeps me in my buggy and in my
marriage)

I just edited the review of 3.5m LS2 bumping up my score to a 9 out of 10. I really, really like this kite. I would judge this review as having a SS
specific rating. Single skins have some distinct attributes that in my mind are packability, lightness, ability to launch and stay in the air in very
light winds, ability to withstand multiple pile drives into the ground without bursting cells (there aren't any to burst), and just flat out the
coolest kites on the playa.

The price one pays for these aforementioned attributes is a ton of bridling and some stability issues when the kite is slack. The latter may well be
related to piloting errors on my part.

Bottom line, if single skins are your thing the LS2s are mighty fine kites.

Buggy:
Peter Lynn Bigfoot+ modified with VTT rail & seat kit (a seriously great performance upgrade), two sets of Sysmic rims (one set with BigFoot
slicks for the beach and other set with 6-ply trailer tires for the playa), and BigKidKite's AQR (because it keeps me in my buggy and in my
marriage)

Nice how you point out how one would feel on Coyotes. + that you aren't going to sell the 3.5 anytime soon. 2 things inquiring minds wanted to know!

You may call it a small kite but when you were out there and everybody else was franticly buzzing about on 1.5 - 2m kites that star looked like and
acted like a real grown up kite! MY style of kite!!

I am so kicking my for not getting a spin on it. I suspect that a lightweight
in a light buggy or blades or ATB on a fast surface would be able to spank a pretty decent bottom end out of that star? We almost never get 30mph
winds here and if we do they are usually real messy. My trusty Profoil works well in " survival " conditions but is ready to self destruct. I am not
rushing but suspect the next kite I buy will be this one.

Just reading your write up on the 3.5m, how does it compare to your previous 4m P2?... you said above that the 3.5m only does the deed over 30mph...
how does that compare to the P2?

Spencer - I think you can have a blast on this kite in winds under 30 mph. I'd think you could get up and going in any winds in the mid 20s and up.
Anything under 20 and it would be grossly under powered. These numbers seem so arbitrary since so much depends on rolling resistance, air density,
temperature, etc. Particularly rolling resistance of course.

I like this kite a whole lot better than the 4.0m P2. I did read that Flysurfer did the most revision to the line in the 4.0m in the P3 release so
maybe anything I say about the P2 is now superfluous for the P3.

Compared to the 4.0m P2, the 3.5m LS2 seems to have comparable pull (though I flew these two kites one year apart!). Both can be nicely toned down by
pulling in the clam cleat line and letting out the bar. Two big differences, both in favor of the LS2 vs P2: Far more stable and solid looking and
feeling in the air, particularly when letting out the bar. The P2 flaps like a furious bird when flown that way while the LS2 still stays pretty
solid with only a bit of wiggle in the lower corners. Both kites are solid in the air when the bar is pulled in. Second, the power curve feels right
on the LS2 but wrong on the P2. The P2 rapidly drops and gains power with bar movement (a really steep curve) while the LS2 has a smooth nicely
dialed in curve.

I haven't seen the 4.0m P3 but the 3.5m LS2 has more and longer bridles than the 6.0m P2. All this bridling is both a blessing and a curse as Steffen
put it and I agree with him. More bridling keeps the single skin really solid and beautifully filled in the air, but you will curse when you tangle
the bridles. In the 3.5m size you will be using this kite in high winds, and I had some tangles develop that needed to be worked out by hand that
formed in the time between when the kite was laid out on a pole and when I had walked back to the bar to hook in. This was a non-issue with the 9.5m
since I was using it in lighter winds. I suspect that this bridle tangling issue gets worse the smaller the kite gets since you use it in stronger
and stronger wind.

Speaking just between the 3.5m LS2 and the 4.0m P2 I have a clear preference for the LS2. While I'm sure the 12.5m LS2 is a fine kite in its own
right my heart is already spoken for with the 12m P3 aka Session Saver!

Buggy:
Peter Lynn Bigfoot+ modified with VTT rail & seat kit (a seriously great performance upgrade), two sets of Sysmic rims (one set with BigFoot
slicks for the beach and other set with 6-ply trailer tires for the playa), and BigKidKite's AQR (because it keeps me in my buggy and in my
marriage)

Nice how you point out how one would feel on Coyotes. + that you aren't going to sell the 3.5 anytime soon. 2 things inquiring minds wanted to know!

You may call it a small kite but when you were out there and everybody else was franticly buzzing about on 1.5 - 2m kites that star looked like and
acted like a real grown up kite! MY style of kite!!

I am so kicking my for not getting a spin on it. I suspect that a lightweight
in a light buggy or blades or ATB on a fast surface would be able to spank a pretty decent bottom end out of that star? We almost never get 30mph
winds here and if we do they are usually real messy. My trusty Profoil works well in " survival " conditions but is ready to self destruct. I am not
rushing but suspect the next kite I buy will be this one.

Ken(2): You are no doubt correct. I am, err, gravitationally challenged and represent a whole lot larger load to accelerate than you would on your
coyotes. I suspect you'd be getting comparable performance in 10mph lighter winds on your Coyotes than I would in my buggy.

Buggy:
Peter Lynn Bigfoot+ modified with VTT rail & seat kit (a seriously great performance upgrade), two sets of Sysmic rims (one set with BigFoot
slicks for the beach and other set with 6-ply trailer tires for the playa), and BigKidKite's AQR (because it keeps me in my buggy and in my
marriage)

Wow, the air must be pretty thin - comparatively - at Ivanpah. I haven't had the 3.5m in the buggy yet, but I did have an enjoyable static session in
8 - 12 knots on the beach a couple days ago. Even in that wind, 10ft scuds were compulsory when I kept the bar pulled in - buggying would have been
absolutely no problem. With the bar fully out (I've got a 'home put-together' job with a longish throw atm) there was a small amount of 'rustling'
and little pull from the kite. It was very well behaved and I was able to touch down at the edge, let the bar out and drop the chicken loop over a
stake and go and grab the kite which just bobbed up and down at the edge. 20 knots (22mph?) is going to be well and truly lit up down here. 14 -15
knots should be really nicely powered. Hope to get the little green one and the big yellow one in the buggy soon.

Wow, the air must be pretty thin - comparatively - at Ivanpah. I haven't had the 3.5m in the buggy yet, but I did have an enjoyable static session in
8 - 12 knots on the beach a couple days ago. Even in that wind, 10ft scuds were compulsory when I kept the bar pulled in - buggying would have been
absolutely no problem. With the bar fully out (I've got a 'home put-together' job with a longish throw atm) there was a small amount of 'rustling'
and little pull from the kite. It was very well behaved and I was able to touch down at the edge, let the bar out and drop the chicken loop over a
stake and go and grab the kite which just bobbed up and down at the edge. 20 knots (22mph?) is going to be well and truly lit up down here. 14 -15
knots should be really nicely powered. Hope to get the little green one and the big yellow one in the buggy soon.

Wind speeds are so hard to judge. It's not as if I'm getting out my wind meter each time. I would say that the air at Ivanpah is pretty much bone dry
and at some altitude (not mountain high but sure as heck not sea level). OK, just looked it up: 2,600 ft. I'm also a whee tad, shall we say,
gravitationally challenged, coming in over 100 kg by a fair margin.

Awesome how you can land it on its side like that! That's some beautiful smooth onshore winds talking I suspect. Maybe not, but at IBX when the winds
were high enough to necessitate the 3.5m LS2 they were also pretty punchy and squirrelly at times and a move like that would have been hard to pull
off. I was able to get her nice and stable at the edge of the wind window but I don't think I would have dared to hook the chicken loop as you
described.

Buggy:
Peter Lynn Bigfoot+ modified with VTT rail & seat kit (a seriously great performance upgrade), two sets of Sysmic rims (one set with BigFoot
slicks for the beach and other set with 6-ply trailer tires for the playa), and BigKidKite's AQR (because it keeps me in my buggy and in my
marriage)

Yeah, most likely the 'bone dry' thing, whereas the onshore breeze coming over the southern ocean has probably got a fair bit of moisture in it thus
being a lot more dense. The 3.5m is certainly WAY less 'flappier' than the 4m P2. I will rig up the FAS system on both kites shortly and see how
that goes also.

The FAS system got lost in the mail somewhere. But I did manage to finally get the 9.5m out of it's bag and attach the lines. What an awesome beast
she is too. 6 - 8 knots she was pulling like a truck. At one point I launched it in what could have only been 2 - 3 knots and honestly did not
expect it to fly let alone pull the buggy, but it launched with ease and with some fig 8-ing, moved me down the beach to where the wind picked up
another couple of knots allowing me to park n ride back to base. We had tried to get Rob's 12m LEI back into the air in the same wind speed.....not a
chance. Quite responsive and easy to turn for a big-ish kite especially when you see how much depower I had pulled. Really put a smile on my dial
after not buggying for 7 months.

The FAS system got lost in the mail somewhere. But I did manage to finally get the 9.5m out of it's bag and attach the lines. What an awesome beast
she is too. 6 - 8 knots she was pulling like a truck. At one point I launched it in what could have only been 2 - 3 knots and honestly did not
expect it to fly let alone pull the buggy, but it launched with ease and with some fig 8-ing, moved me down the beach to where the wind picked up
another couple of knots allowing me to park n ride back to base. We had tried to get Rob's 12m LEI back into the air in the same wind speed.....not a
chance. Quite responsive and easy to turn for a big-ish kite especially when you see how much depower I had pulled. Really put a smile on my dial
after not buggying for 7 months.

Great to see you posting Mr. Holgate. She is a honey! It's been months since I've buggied as well. You've likely seen the "video" Steffen put
together of the still photographs of me with the 9.5 on Ivanpah. It was as rock steady there as on your beautiful beach. Vastly refined from the
1.0! Beautiful sunset towards the end my friend.

A number of months back I bought the powder blue Big Momma, the 12.5m. It sits patiently in my garage awaiting its maiden flight as well. I hope to
use it on Ivanpah this November when a few of us are putting a trip together around US Thanksgiving. I've had success in the past on Ivanpah using
the 12m P2 and P3 in the mid to late morning when the playa often transitions over an hour or so from being essentially wind still to barely
breathing. I suspect the 12.5m LS2 will shine once I can feel a breeze on my face.

Should you be able to work it out, Steffen's leading edge safety system works as advertised, the penalty for use being the risk of lots of bridle work
after deployment.

I hope this is a resurfacing of sorts for you on PKF - you've been missed!

Buggy:
Peter Lynn Bigfoot+ modified with VTT rail & seat kit (a seriously great performance upgrade), two sets of Sysmic rims (one set with BigFoot
slicks for the beach and other set with 6-ply trailer tires for the playa), and BigKidKite's AQR (because it keeps me in my buggy and in my
marriage)

Buggy:
Peter Lynn Bigfoot+ modified with VTT rail & seat kit (a seriously great performance upgrade), two sets of Sysmic rims (one set with BigFoot
slicks for the beach and other set with 6-ply trailer tires for the playa), and BigKidKite's AQR (because it keeps me in my buggy and in my
marriage)